The New York Times Lost Two Big Reporters In One Day

Within the last 24 hours, three bold faced names departed The New York Times' storied masthead for greener pastures in the media world, continuing a strange trend that began earlier this year. Why can't the Times keep its stars?

Within the last 24 hours, three bold faced names departed The New York Times Company for greener pastures in the media world, continuing an unusual trend that began earlier this year. Why can't the Times keep its stars?

Stelter had been an occasional fill-in after the departure of Howard Kurtz over the summer, but told the The Washington Post's Erik Wemple at the time that "I would not leave the Times for a television job." Stelter seemed like a dedicated, lifelong Times-man, too. The paper hired him in 2007 after he made his name at TVNewser, a blog he started when he was still in college. He also became a featured player in Page One, a 2011 documentary about the Times newsroom, positioning him as a sure-fire successor to media desk veterans Bill Carter and David Carr, who once said Stelter was "a robot assembled to destroy" him.

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It seems Abramson has not had a good year. In April, Dylan Byers wrote that the newsroom was chafing against her leadership style. She was brash, strong, testy: all qualities, many pointed out, that are usually celebrated in male bosses. But newly-appointed president and CEO Mark Thompson was the "visionary" brought in to save the Times newsroom as the guy with business experience who can guide the paper into the future. One of them better figure out how to keep their marquee names from going elsewhere.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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Connor Simpson is a former staff writer for The Wire. His work has appeared in Business Insider and City Lab.